The Power of A Good Story to Communicate Effectively
September 25, 2009
I was sitting in the airport this week waiting to get on a plane to Oklahoma, when the desk attendant made an announcement.
In a loud voice he said, “We have to move five to six people to the back of the airplane right away due to weight requirements. We need people to move or your plane is NOT going anywhere.”
Eeek! I looked around the waiting area and everybody looked frozen in place. I knew that I for one wasn’t moving because I had taken special care to get a seat upfront, but as I looked around, it looked like no one else was moving either. Hmm, wonder why no one would want to move?
It’s not that the seats in the back are that unappealing. So what would make the people in the waiting room completely unwilling to go to the counter to change their seats? But before I tell you the answer to this riddle, I’m going to tell you the second part of the story.
Minutes after the first announcement, another desk attendant got up and made a second one. She had a lovely cheery voice and she said, “Good morning everyone. We have a wonderful opportunity for you to have some more space or more leg room in the back of the plane. If you’d like a window or an aisle seat with no one near you, then come up right now and get a good seat. We have room for five or six people to make the change. Again if you’d enjoy some more space on your flight today, come see me now.”
Immediately a handful of people got up and in minutes the plane was ready to load. Hmm, what was the difference in the communication?
Could it be that the power of a good story communicates way more effectively than a chastising command? You betcha.
The first desk attendant reminded us all of our teachers in grade school, our parents, military officers or someone else stern and commanding. And what do we do when we hear that style of communication? We freeze.
The second attendant used the positive power of a good story to communicate interest and generate motivation. People jumped to attention right away because she spoke to what we all want. We all want more room, more space and more comfort. All great marketers know that you need to speak to the benefits. And she did it in a happy uplifted way. She also made a joke out of it and said, “I know I sound like Monty Hall.” And that made us all laugh.
That is the power of a good story to communicate, motivate and inspire. Her words generated internal images, that when sequenced together, moved us towards something good.
The other communication was a story as well. But it was a story that generated uncomfortable feelings and took most of us back to unhappy memories of out past. This type of communication generates breakdowns in action, not motivation.
So when you speak today, think about how you can generate a positive type of communication that moves people towards the benefits. Think of the extra leg room you can provide to those around you by speaking in story in a way that leads people to move forward.
Today, inspire positive action and effective communication through the power of a good story and then be sure to enjoy the flight!
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